Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Huawei: 5G

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring forward their deadline for removing Huawei from UK 5G networks by 2027.

Baroness Barran: The 2027 Huawei removal date has been set taking into account our specific national circumstances and how the risks from US sanctions to telecoms networks are manifested in the UK.To go further and faster beyond a 2027 target would add considerable - and unnecessary - costs and delays to 5G rollout. And the shorter we make the timetable for removal, the greater the risk of actual disruption to mobile telecoms networks.

Football: Coronavirus

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of football clubs in the National Leagueand the leagues below to remain in businessduring the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Barran: Football clubs can be the bedrock of our local communities and it is vital they are protectedThat is why we have provided unprecedented support to businesses through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support, which many football clubs have benefited from. Sport England’s Community Emergency Fund has also provided £210 million directly to support community sport clubs and exercise centres through this pandemic.Importantly, under government guidance clubs below the National League North / South are able to admit spectators, whilst adhering to COVID-19 guidance, generating crucial revenue that is vital for their survival.Government recognises the implications for elite sports clubs of not being able to admit spectators to stadia from 1 October, and are working urgently on what we can do now to support them.

Football: Coronavirus

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring the COVID-19 restrictive measures at football clubs in line with those currently in place at concert venues.

Baroness Barran: We are committed to getting spectators back into stadiums as soon as it is safe to do so. The evidence we received from the Chief Medical Officer was very clear that at a time of rapidly rising infections, and when we were considering restrictions elsewhere, it was not the right time to undertake any further easements.We will continue to work closely with a whole range of sports, including football, to understand the latest thinking that might allow spectators to return. This includes the creation of a new Sports Technology Innovation Working Group of sporting bodies and health experts to analyse new technologies which might support this.We will take the earliest opportunity to look again at getting spectators safely back into stadiums but this must clearly be very carefully judged against the prevailing health conditions.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Georgia: Investment

Lord Harries of Pentregarth: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 28 September (HL8057), what plans they have to accelerate their assessment of the government of Georgia's amendment to their communications law following the expropriation of telecoms provider Caucasus Online; and whether they plan to raise concerns with the government of Georgia about the reasons for that government's takeover of a privately-owned internet provider shortly before parliamentary elections.

Baroness Sugg: Our Embassy in Tbilisi have reviewed the amendments to the Law on Electronic Communications, and discussed with other Embassies and NGOs in Georgia. The UK's view, and that of the stakeholders we have consulted, is that these amendments seek to address national security concerns, and have been put in place to protect Georgia's critical digital national infrastructure.The case involving Caucasus Online is currently under arbitration, and therefore it is inappropriate for the UK Government to comment at this time. We will continue to monitor developments in this case closely.

Sudan: Floods

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the floods in Sudan, what aid they have provided to support those affected.

Baroness Sugg: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is supporting the Government of Sudan-led flood response through the UN and NGOs.This includes the UN Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) where the UK has provided £27 million in 2020 for a range of urgent needs including COVID-19, locusts and now flooding. £ 3.0 ($3.9) million, via the SHF, has been provided to aid agencies for clean water, sanitation and hygiene activities, emergency shelter as well as basic relief items including blankets and sleeping mats. The START Fund, to which the UK is the largest donor, allocated funding to provide clean water and sanitation.UK aid has also provided over £750,000 to the UN's Refugee Agency, UNHCR, the Danish Refugee Council and other aid agencies to provide affected people with emergency shelter kits to repair damaged homes, cash, food, clean water and sandbags.

Andy Li

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have on the wellbeing of imprisoned Hong Kong activist Andy Li; and whether they have asked the government of China (1) to allow access to Andy Li by family members and lawyers, and (2) to return him to Hong Kong.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have raised our concerns about the 12 detainees in Shenzhen, which we understand includes Andy Li, with the Chinese authorities in Hong Kong. It is essential that due process is followed. The rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong, including their rights to freedom of speech and assembly, are expressly guaranteed in the Joint Declaration. Rights committed to under the Joint Declaration must be upheld.

Korea: Nuclear Disarmament

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Foreign Secretary's to South Korea and the demilitarised zone, what assessment they have made of the prospects for (1) the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and (2) an improvement in the protection of fundamental human rights in North Korea.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is concerned at the continued development of North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. UN sanctions must be enforced until North Korea takes concrete steps to denuclearise and dismantle its weapons programme. The UK is working with partners to enforce UN sanctions on North Korea and to reduce the risk of North Korean cybercrime, a valuable source of revenue for the regime. We continue to show our support to US efforts to negotiate with North Korea, and to partners in the region, as evidenced by the Foreign Secretary's discussions with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang in Seoul in early October. We have raised our concerns directly with North Korea and at the UN Security Council. We encourage North Korea to return to meaningful negotiations with the United States.The UK repeatedly calls on North Korean to acknowledge and address the many reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations in the country. The UK made a robust statement at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2020. The UK has directly challenged North Korea on its human rights abuses. In July 2020, we designated two North Korean Government organisations under the UK Global Human Rights sanctions regime. At the UN Human Rights Council in October, we made clear our continued concerns.

Mongolia: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of news reports of protests in Inner Mongolia about (1) the suppression of the Mongolian language, and (2) the destruction of the Mongolian ethnic identity.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the recent protests in Inner Mongolia and will continue to monitor developments closely.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Senior Civil Servants

Baroness Kramer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are at the Department for Work and Pensions at (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: All of our employees are positively encouraged to record their diversity status, although any such declaration is on a voluntary basis. Therefore, we do not hold an exhaustive record of all Departmental employee ethnic origin.

Universal Credit

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for Work and Pensions grosses up the net amount of relief at source pension contributions, taken from HMRC Real Time Information data, before deducting those contributions from Universal Credit claimants' earnings.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The earnings figure used in the calculation of Universal Credit entitlement is gross earnings: gross taxable pay minus income tax, National Insurance contributions, and ignoring 100 per cent of contributions made to an occupational or personal pension. Adjustments are made to ensure fairness of treatment between those pension contributions made under net pay arrangements and relief at source pension contributions.

Social Security Benefits

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a machine learning algorithm is used to calculate entitlement (1)toUniversal Credit, and (2) toany other benefit; and if so, how that algorithm is used.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department does not use Machine Learning to calculate entitlement to Universal Credit or other benefits. All entitlement and calculation rules are an implementation of welfare policies, which are delivered in accordance with relevant legislation.